Thursday Thriller: January 2024

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Thursday Thriller, January 25, 2024

Thursday Thriller

January 25, 2024

Photos from the Field

It is so fun to see students playing games and having fun in the library!

Nuts-n-Bolts

1. Students are doing so well on the iReady!! It is clear-students who completed their iReady lessons ARE doing better! It will be fun to share results!

2. Friday, Feb 2nd is our Activity/Bowling/Finish Lessons/Work day :). We will have an assembly to quickly on honor students who made growth on iReady, pie in the face fun and then dismiss to either bowling, activity day or working on lessons. Christy, Nate F have volunteered to be pied in the face. Would love to have more of you. :D If you would like to chaperone bowling, please email Kim. Robin is one chaperone. We will get permission slips. It will be tricky if students are not all the way done. I hope we will be. I don't have all the answers to the possible scenarios. However, if you email Nicole and me your questions, scenarios we can begin to formulate plans.

3. If you have a student who needs to see the Health Center Counselor, they have permission to go. Mariana has shared with me that she is trying hard to work with availability of the Delia's counseling schedule and openings with reaching out to students' teachers to come up with the best option. She also shared that some teachers have not allowed a student to go or sends them at the end of class with hardly any time left. We need to let students go. It is unfair for us to deny a student access to a service they clearly need. Please come see me if you want to discuss this further.

4. Spirit week is next week. ASB officers made a proposal and were VERY EXCITED to share this with me and a little nervous. Friday the 2nd is "Anything but a Backpack" day. There are CLEAR expectations around what students can bring. ASB officers wanted the chance to prove that the student body could do this. It's a half day, students who do not comply will have consequences AND there are going to be some really creative ideas that will be in the 'guard rails' that will make us chuckle!

5. THANK YOU for emailing your sub plans! Nicole and I appreciate it!

6. Friday, Feb 2nd in the afternoon we will have Shelby from ESD 123 presenting part 1 of gang activity information. She is knowledgeable and very relatable. I have seen her present before. She is also the go to team leader when we do a Level 2 threat assessment for students.

7. Best of luck to Mike Bertram and students travel to Cheney this Saturday for the First Lego League Competition!!!

8. Michelle Carpenter sent this information out this week. Are you interested in School Leadership? Leadership comes in many different capacities. I could email her if you have questions or might be thinking about next steps in your career.

K-12-School Leader Information

Something to Ponder

I've been reflecting on the concept of teamwork, particularly its significance within an educational setting. The accomplishments of our students hinge on our collective teamwork. Numerous students have reached out to express their excitement in the growth they have made from the fall to present. As we navigate through a very busy period of transitions, field trips, registrations, and testing—from 5th to 6th, 8th to 9th—we must maintain our cohesion as a team. Our individual strengths, when pooled together, define our uniqueness. Sometimes, nudging our teammates into action is essential, all geared toward the singular purpose of advancing towards our goal: ensuring that 100% of our students feel a sense of belonging, are motivated to attend school, and are invested in their learning. There's work ahead, but together, lifting one another, engaging in difficult conversations when necessary, and acknowledging achievements, it's all about being a unified team.

In a great podcast, at the 37:55 mark, Dr. Mike Massimino, a NASA Astronaut, shares his journey to becoming an astronaut. Between 37:55 and 45:04, he talks about a chapter from his book, "No One Leaves the Pool Until Everyone Passes the Test," providing an example of teamwork. It prompts us to consider how we can leverage our strengths to support those who may not be as proficient, ensuring everyone "passes the test." I hope you find a gold nugget in this podcast!

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“We’re not going to talk about what we’re going to accomplish. We’re going to talk about how we’re going to do it.” — Nick Saban

Preliminary results from ELA and Math Diagnostic!! WHOOP!! WHOOP!!!

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Thursday Thriller, January 18, 2024

Thursday Thriller

January 18, 2024

Hopefully, you are reading this at home, snuggled in with whatever choice of evening 'snacks' you may have.

Mike Bertram invited Total Comfort Solutions in as a guest speaker. Employees shared how they got into HVAC, what they liked about it and their career path. THEN students got to dig in and tear apart a real HVAC system! Pretty cool!!!

I'd like to point out the power of teamwork. When we can accept feedback and learn from our peers, it's powerful! The laser like focus on the same goal is a win-win for PLC work! See example below.

What do we want students to learn? To identify the boss' car in the parking lot and make sure it's cleared of all snow for visibility to drive.

How will we know when students' learned it? The boss does not wreck pulling out of the parking lot due to poor visibility.

How do we respond if they don't get it? Clean off every damn car in the parking lot! Repetition, 'at bats' practice CORRECTLY.

How will we extend the learning for students who have mastered it? Simple-we get more students out in the parking lot and do peer coaching on all the cars!

In all honesty, I don't know what the hell Ferraro is doing because Carrara looks to be doing the work. :D

A HUGE SHOUT OUT to STEVE, NATE and NATE you guys brushed off several cars and it was greatly appreciated!!!

Nuts-n-Bolts

1. If we have a two hour delay tomorrow, we will run the same schedule. Remember-2nd period is extended 9 mins so students do not leave until 11:30.

2. We will be extending our iReady testing timeline. Currently, all our math teachers have emphasized the need for Monday to complete the Diagnostic. Consequently, ELA testing will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 24th. On Tuesday, Jan. 23rd, our ELA and Math co-teaching teams have training, making Wednesday a better start for ELA. Recognizing the potential time crunch for completing the Diagnostic and conducting make-ups, administration will collaborate with Counselors Nancy, Jami, and Kara to develop a make-up plan.

While observing students in various math classes, it's evident that they are fully engaged! I propose that each department, ELA and Math, collaborate on a plan where one teacher handles those needing to finish, while the other teacher(s) takes the remaining students for extensions, reviews, etc. This approach will significantly reduce the number of students the team needs to pull for make-ups.

2013 was when I started sending a weekly communication to staff. THE main reason I started this was so that we didn't have to have staff meetings.

If it's important enough, ink it! With that being said, when everyone reads the TT, emails about schedules, and listens to GNN etc. it sure helps our Garrison Community. When students receive mixed messages, it cracks our community foundation. PLEASE take time to read and listen to the communication that is sent out. If you have ever written an email in which you write, rewrite, ask for feedback, by the time you hit send you want people to read it. AND if it is something to respond to RESPOND!

4. Thank you for attending grade level SST meetings. If you are not able to make a meeting, please reach out to Steve.

5. In order for students to participate in either the activity day and/or bowling they must have their 16 iReady lessons completed. Bowling is a big deal so Stretch goal AND 16 lessons. If students made growth but did not reach their Typical or Stretch goal, they will get to pick a couple incentives from the menu. There is a balance of rewarding, recognizing and accountability. Will there be upset kids and angry parents-for sure! However, we are a united front that communicated this message, gave students opportunities to complete iReady lessons, met 1:1 with them to not only encourage but to show them where they were at and where they needed to grow. Now, students must live with the choices they made (if they didn't complete the lessons or didn't take the test seriously).

Something to Ponder

Structure and time were at the forefront of my thoughts as I was thinking about a two-hour delay or even a cancellation. A two hour delay shortens class periods that, at times, can be super frustrating! Then a cancellation throws off your calendar of pacing! One thing that doesn't change in both scenarios -we don't get the time back. This means every minute of every lesson counts.

On a normal day you get 48 mins. Many of you have expressed that there is not enough time. Some have expressed that it's the right amount. So what is the 'silver bullet' amount of time for a class? Is it the time or the structure of time?

Dave Stuart is a go to favorite because he is practical AND a practicing high school English teacher. I click on all of his links and usually end up down many different rabbit holes!

His visual flow chart for how he structures his class made good sense especially the last few minutes of class. Bringing closure and connecting the dots. One strategy to try is using a timer. A timer can help you stay on track so you get through your lesson and hit all those important points you planned. Many of you have nifty time keepers you use. Conor has those fun races and other types of timers I have observed him using. Conor, can we put a link on the HUB that staff could access different timers?

Keeping yourself on track is key.

Whether it's fifteen, thirty or forty-eight minutes, how can you/do you maximize this time? Hope you find a gold nugget in this article.

The Simple Slides I Use to Structure My Lessons

"When an archer misses the mark, he turns and looks for the fault within himself. Failure to hit the bull's eye is never the fault of the target. To improve your aim-- improve yourself." -- Gilbert Arland

Thursday Thriller January 11

Thursday Thriller

January 11, 2024

Photos from the Field

Little current events in Amy's class. Ryan Newton found an article about Hercules the 3" venomous spider in Australia! 😲 That thing needs to stay DOWN UNDER!!!

Nate F, Michelle P and Katelyn are taking grade level promise standards, scaffolding and engaging students in reading, writing and math AT GRADE LEVEL!!! Go Team!!!

Brody and Gio matched up!

Our secretaries are great! They have decorated up the office. 💓

Nuts-n-Bolts

1. Thank you to staff who have sent sub plans when they are going to be gone. Very helpful! Please share plans with both Nicole and Kim. Absences: If you are taking a personal, incentive or longevity day those MUST be submitted in a timely manner PRIOR to your leave not after. This was the email from Mindy Meyer.

Here are a few updates on leave requests - please read carefully.

The Leave Request Form has been updated to a fillable pdf form. The form is located on the Human Resources webpage under Forms. Please discard earlier versions of this and any other leave forms.

The process is still the same. Personal, Incentive, or Longevity Leaves are approved at the building/department level. Staff requesting to use any of these leaves should notify their principal/supervisor in advance to ensure coverage is available.

Bereavement, Emergency, or any Other Leaves are approved by Human Resources. Staff requesting to use any of these leaves should submit the form to their principal/supervisor.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Mindy

Dr. Mindy Meyer | Director of Human Resources

364 S Park Street, Walla Walla, WA 99362

509.526.6713 | mmeyer@wwps.org

2. iReady Trackers: 8 lessons, most of you added the 8th column. You really have to look at the lessons to determine if a student is on track. This student has 8 lessons passed. When you break it down, 7 of these lessons are for Qrt 1 and only 1 is for quarter 2. Technically this student has 7 more lessons to complete to hit the 8 lessons for Quarter 2. Hope this makes sense. It's imperative that during this time, you are looking at your Advisory students and checking in with them especially if they are behind. As a whole, you have embraced this system as an Advisory teacher and it has been greatly appreciated.

3. Math Diagnostic testing begins next week!! Students will test in their math classes. In the lunchroom is a poster with our school wide data from the fall.

We will put up a similar graph with our Winter data. The PAC kids were quite shocked when they looked at the data. Hearing and seeing that 50% of our students are 2 or more grade levels below in math and 47% in reading. YES, I did explain that students were tested on standards that had not yet been taught. PAC kids noted that the data is skewed for those that didn't try or monolingual students. Absolutely correct on both accounts. Very insightful crew of students we have. :D

4. Accountable for Learning (Refusal to Work) is for students in class who are choosing not to work. They come in at lunch. Please fill out this document Accountable for Learning. If YOU want to keep students in during lunch to finish work, re take a test, etc. DO NOT fill out this form. Students will need a pass and you will need to look at the A for L document to make sure a student is not marked as SKIPPED.

5. Second semester begins with new electives on Monday, January 29th. We will try and pre populate iReady trackers for elective teachers. If you have a combination of students in a class period that need to be broken up, we will try to make this happen. Here are the conditions. :D

A. What other class period of yours (not another teacher) would a student best fit in?

B. You have had conversations throughout the semester about behavior, academics, etc. with both student and parent.

C. You make the call to the parent or Parent Square WITH A RESPONSE that the parent understand why the change needs to be made.

D. You talk with the student.

E. Contact counselors with A-D completed no later than Friday, Jan. 19th

**Steve and Nicole are pretty good miracle workers! They will try their best to make the schedule changes but there are no guarantees.

6. Garrison Clinic

A. Students MUST have a clinic pass from you and check out on the Chromebook to come to the clinic. Kim will work with secretaries to make a clinic pass for each classroom teacher.

B. Please, please please when a student asks to the clinic can you ask them a few questions: "Are you going to barf? Do you hurt super bad? Do you think you have a temperature? Would a drink of water help?"

If we could ask a couple of questions before sending students, that be helpful. I know what you are thinking. However, if a student gets to the clinic and the student is not running a temp, doesn't have to barf, is not bleeding chances are he/she will be sent back to class. The nurse documents all visits to the clinic and calls home.

Students are finding their way to the clinic just before lunch. Then a miracle happens and they feel better when the lunch bell rings. Amy Wells will consult with Nicole D and Kim on these situations. If a student is miraculously cured and has done this before, we will have the student "rest" during lunch in room 117.

The clinic has upwards to 40-50 students a day that aren't feeling well. We also have 3 diabetics that must come in, be monitored and document their blood sugar levels. Plus, we have 13 different times when meds need to be dispensed. All within 5.5 hours by themselves. If we can help out with a little less traffic to the clinic, that would be great. Use your professional judgement. I'm not saying deny access...maybe ask a couple of more questions. Thanks! **We will be interviewing for an HRA soon. Amy Wells is a registered nurse that oversees Garrison and two other schools. She is filling in for now until Sara Huxoll's HRA position is filled.

Something to Ponder

A Different Way of Arranging Students' Desks

I hadn't really thought about an L shape before. The advantages the author writes about definitely make sense! Have any of you ever arranged desks in a L shape? Maybe something to try. Hope you find a gold nugget in the summary or the entire article.

7. A Different Way of Arranging Students’ Desks -Summary

In this Edutopia article, veteran Oregon high-school teacher Jay Schauer (now a mentor

to other educators) says teachers should put as much thought into configuring students’ desks

as they do to planning lessons and assessments and nurturing relationships. If students’ desks

are in rows facing the front, all students have a direct view for whole-class presentations, but

this arrangement is not conducive to group work. If desks are in groups, collaboration is easy

but some students have their backs to the board.

A few years ago, Schauer stumbled on a way of arranging student desks that he

believes solves these problems. Groups of four desks are arranged in the shape of a L, with two

students on each side (here’s a diagram and the article linked below has a photograph). This

way, all students can see the front of the room and can also converse with their group mates.

Two additional advantages: the teacher can more readily monitor students’ work, and can stand

in the interior angle of one of the L-shaped groups and have direct eye contact with all four

students.

Schauer used this arrangement from that point on, having students shift to rows for tests

and into square-shaped groups for labs, projects, or games. He’s experimented with ways of

assigning students to different positions in each L-group, shuffling the composition of groups

by having students in a designated position shift to a different group, doing jigsaw activities by

regrouping students by position, and calling all students from a particular position together for

a briefing and then having them return to their groups to share the information.

“A Desk Layout Alternative to Rows and Circles” by Jay Schauer in Edutopia, January 2, 2024

Quote

Rule #38 The first step in achieving positive results is planning to achieve positive results. The second step is actually working the plan. The Playbook by Kwame Alexander

You have to expect things from yourself before you can do them.

-Michael Jordan, six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls, five-time MVP.

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Thursday Thriller

January 4, 2023

While the last half of winter break had its challenges, there were definitely parts of it that were great! Sharing family pictures helps remind me pause, reflect and find the good.💙

Schmidt-Doepker-Ramos-Hallowell Family Photo

My parents are doing better and definitely on the mend. Mom had an MRI yesterday. Come to find out she had compressed a verterbrae when she was trying to get out of bed and slumped down because her legs gave out. Kidney infection is being treated with antibiotics and the back is being treated with some pain meds and rest. 💛

Madi's Baby Shower

Isella's 9th Birthday. This photo gives me great joy! When your 15 year old daughter tells you she's pregnant, your world stops. "This can't be happening, what are we going to do?" Isella was the blessing we needed to bring our family closer together. Kate's determination and dedication was the WHAT of the 'what are we going to do.'💗

Axcel on his first snowmobile ride.

Lucas hung out with Nonnie and Mini while everyone was snowmobiling.

Thanks for letting me share a little piece of the Doepker's. I appreciated all the warm welcome backs and inquiries regarding my parents. I'm very thankful for YOU! I love coming to work! New challenges each day that make me laugh, pull my hair out and/or make my heart hurt. Whatever the circumstance, know you have a family at school to help, support and listen when you need it. I hope this week you have talked with colleagues and friends, shared stories of what you did over break and pulled out your phone to share a photo. Life's little moments are worth sharing. :D

Nuts-n-Bolts

1. We are still posting for Sara Huxoll's HRA (Health Room Assistant) and Reggie's para positions. If you know of people who are qualified and would like to work with the GREATEST staff, please have them apply through the District website.

2. Update on the Health Center:

November: 15 students were seen for Medical Services

December: 28 students were seen for Medical Services.

Of the 43 students, 7 were sent home and the remaining 36 were able to go back to class.

Currently, Amy Wells, RN is overseeing our clinic full time until we can find a replacement for Sara. If Amy is super busy we can send students to the HC. Yes, there is paperwork and parental consent forms that need to be completed (they can also get parental consent over the phone to treat) . With that being said, parents are consenting as we have seen in the numbers.

Counseling/Mental Health: 24 students were signed up. 75% showed for their appointments. 25% were no show due to attendance which is the battle we continue to fight each day.

HC hours are Monday-Thursday 9:00-3:00, Friday's are paperwork and meetings. The last mental Health appointment of the day is during 6th period. No student will be at the HC after 2:45. Last medical appointment is at 2:30pm. Any student being sent home for illness will always be directed to go and wait in our office. The HC attendance log is always shared with Janelle. Students who are sent back to class will come with a note.

Mariana Saldana is the HC Care Coordinator, Delia Gutierrez is our Mental Health Counselor, and Jenny Maxon is the medical provider.

mariana@thehealthcenterww.org

delia@thehealthcenterww.org

jenny@thehealthcenterww.org

We are THRILLED to have them at Garrison to support our students!!

3. CIS Coordinator, Grace sent out a reminder about volunteers. Here are the three critical points about volunteers. Grace takes care of everything for you. :D If you have a need for volunteers, talk with Grace. She will get the information and post it on the VIP board for you. EVEN if you have a trusty volunteer who is a regular THEY MUST SET UP AN ACCOUNT and SIGN IN EACH TIME-Grace can help. The VIP system does all the background checks, tracks time in/out and let's us know how many volunteers we are seeing at Garrison.

All volunteer opportunities need to be listed in the VIP system – that is any event, or project, a teacher/school has that needs volunteers and the teacher/school needs to get the details to the CIS advocate at their school. (CIS advocates will be sending the VIP volunteer opportunity forms to everyone at the school today, if they haven't already.)
If a teacher has a volunteer that is regular in their classroom they can work with the CIS advocate to set up an opportunity just for them so they can check in/check out
All volunteers must use the kiosk to check in, every time they volunteer. This should replace paper sign-ins.

4. Garrison vs Pioneer who will win the attendance contest?! Next week kicks off our January Attendance Contest against Pioneer Middle School! Each week we will compare attendance numbers and the winning school will receive a prize. Attendance is key to students’ academic success, as well as their ability to build relationships with students and staff. Let the kids know—our reputation is at stake! January 8th through Feb. 2nd.

5. I happened to walk into Heather's first period at the right time! This is an option to project the students' lessons tracker. She is also working with a student on his iReady Typical and Stretch Growth goals. NICE JOB, Heather!

We're steadily chipping away at the students who need to finish their first quarter iReady lessons. It's frustrating to see them fall even further behind for the second quarter. 😒 Here's the breakdown by lunch schedule. We're making sure they're held accountable. It's almost like lunch in room 165 has its own circle of hell, but too bad they haven't all read Dante's Inferno to appreciate the reference!"

6. A huge shout out to GMS staff consistently attending their students' IEP meetings! 😄 When parents or guardians receive the full view, encompassing both strengths and areas for growth, alongside strategies to support their child, your presence at these meetings holds immense value!! It communicates care. Participating in IEPs, especially for students confronting specific challenges in your class, aligns with our professional responsibilities. I'll be reaching out to some of you regarding upcoming IEP sessions."

7. Coins, coins, and more coins! Do you need more? We will deliver them to you! Shoot me an email.

SOMETHING to PONDER

As many of you have commented, having Tobi and Maria at the front door each morning monitoring students placing their phones and air pods in their backpacks has been a true game changer! Our PAC students have said just as much-"So much better without the cell phones!" They did not think having a 'cell phone station' during activity day was a good idea. "Why do we want students to be on their phones when they can interact with their friends and play games?"

This is a summary of the article Should schools ban cell phones? Are we doing doing enough at GMS or are there other steps we need to take?

Hope you find a gold nugget in this article. If you want to add your thoughts on this jam board, please do so. :D

SUMMARY:

Cellphones in Schools: To Ban or Not to Ban

In this Education Gadfly article, Tim Daly (EdNavigator) reports that France and China

have forbidden student cellphone use during the school day, and the U.K. is actively

considering a ban. In the U.S., many K-12 educators, academic leaders, and newspaper

editorials are on board, for these reasons:

- Since around 2012 there’s been an increase in young people’s loneliness, anxiety,

depression, and other mental health problems, coinciding with heavy social media use.

- Cellphones prevent students’ face-to-face socializing in school, and many kids have

lost the art of conversing with peers.

- Even in schools with cellphone restrictions, students find ways to circumvent them; one

study found that 97 percent of teens are on their phones for an average of 43 minutes during the school day.

- Studies show that cellphones distract from learning – even when students aren’t

actually using them – and are contributing to distressingly low student achievement.

Daly looked for adult advocates of the opposite position – that cellphones are relatively benign

and shouldn’t be banned – and couldn’t find arguments worth sharing.

Several different levels of cellphone bans are being considered and implemented, each

with pros and cons:

• Leave cellphones at home – This simplifies enforcement for staff. But there’s been

pushback from parents who want their children to be reachable at all times, including in transit

to and from school, also from cashless students who want to be able to pay for items

electronically before and after school.

• Student cellphone use is not allowed during the school day – This is the most

commonly used policy now, with students leaving their phones in lockers or parking them in

classroom holders under teachers’ supervision, not permitted in bathrooms and during passing

time, lunch, or recess. The downside of this approach is more enforcement responsibility for

staff and the possibility of inconsistency from classroom to classroom.

• No cellphone use during classes – This means phones aren’t on desks, under desks,

streaming music into earbuds, or secretly taking videos of classmates or teachers. The

downside is that phones are still in pockets, purses, or backpacks, constantly distracting

students from learning, and a trip to the bathroom is an opportunity to dive into social media

and messaging. Banning phones during classes is the least popular policy among educators,

says Daly, because it “requires a substantial level of teacher enforcement, which quickly

becomes exhausting. Many teachers simply give up.”

What’s needed, he believes, is a policy that can be consistently enforced, minimizes

hassles, and doesn’t distract from instruction. “Teachers don’t want to spend all day policing

phones,” he says. “It’s awkward. It’s infantilizing. It can escalate. For some kids, having

something cherished taken from them puts them in a very defensive, anxious position. Power

dynamics across lines of difference zoom to the fore. Parents get really angry. Administrators

often won’t back teachers who enforce the administrators’ own policies.”

Another consideration as schools decide what to do about cellphones is the current

trend away from harsh, no-excuses discipline. In the wake of the pandemic, many students are

struggling, fragile, and in need of relationship-building. Attendance is down and a good

number of students aren’t present even when they’re sitting in classrooms. Teachers are

competing for students’ “mindshare,” says Daly. “It’s no fun when half your class isn’t truly

there. Banning cellphones won’t solve that problem.” Schools have also invested in one-to-one

technology, putting tablets or laptops in students’ hands most of the day, and kids are adept at

working around the firewalls to play games and communicate with each other.

In light of these complicating factors, what are schools to do? Daly proposes a four-part

Strategy:

• Invest in pouches with strong magnetic locks so students have their phones with them

but turned off and put away for the whole school day, with convenient unlocking stations at

school exits (Yondr is one company marketing these).

• Insist on consistent enforcement by staff. “Teachers can’t ignore bullying or physical

violence,” he says. “They can’t let kids cheat on state tests. They shouldn’t ignore phones,

either… Hold teachers accountable on performance reviews if they are undermining the

school’s campaign for phone-free learning.”

• Have meaningful penalties when students break the rules, not just giving the phone back at the end of the day, which is when they would get it back anyway. Daly suggests detention or requiring parents to come to school and pick up the phone.

• Ensure that classrooms are “warm, lively, engaging environments where kids can focus

on things worth doing,” he concludes. “Target all barriers to that goal, even if they turn out to

be iPads, bad curriculum materials, boring instruction, negligent classroom management, or

low expectations. If we don’t address those things, how can we blame kids for watching

TikTok in the bathroom? Wouldn’t you do the same?”

“Should Schools Ban Cellphones?” by Tim Daly in Education Gadfly, December 8, 2023

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QUOTE

Thank you to Jami E! I sat with Nate C's 6th period class while Jami explained to students about the winter reading challenge. I'm not going to lie-I was pretty excited!! Jami had a lot of books on the table for students to choose from (I took quite a few :0). One book she had was a graphic novel titled The Playbook by Kwame Alexander. An incredible book of quotes, stories and metaphors through sports. This week's quote comes from this book.

Rule #42 Be unselfish. Share the ball. Work Together. Win Together.

The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I'd made my teammates play.

-Bill Russell, Hall of Fame player/coach, five-time MVP and centerpiece of eleven NBA championships with the Boston Celtics

Also, going through some of my parents' old newspaper clippings and photos, I found this gem. LOL. Clearly, I didn't know where to look when the picture was taken.😅